Sunday’s game was the biggest of the season for the New Orleans Saints and for the Los Angeles Rams. This might be the biggest game in the NFL all year.

And before it even began, Thomas expected to make a play in a key moment.

“I had my plot setup,” Thomas said. “I had it set up to where I was anticipating to get in the end zone.”

Thomas followed through with the plan, but nobody could’ve predicted how he would score or what would follow.

With 4:02 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Saints had a 38-35 lead. It was third-and-7, and although Alvin Kamara was the primary target on the play, the Saints knew there was a chance the Rams would try to double cover the running back.

When they did, it created a one-on-one opportunity for Thomas against Rams cornerback Marcus Peters. Thomas quickly created separation. Brees lofted the pass over Thomas. Then, Thomas raced to a 72-yard touchdown, the longest play of his career and one that Saints fans will remember forever — and not just because it sealed the victory.

After Thomas scored, he ran to the goal post, lifted the pad and pulled out a flip phone, re-enacting Joe Horn’s celebration from 2003, which is among the most memorable in NFL history.

“I loved the celebration myself, and I think it was the perfect time when I did it,” Thomas said. “We love our fans. We always want to bring them back great memories of Saints football, and I think that’s what I did.”

With that incredible play, Thomas finished with an unbelievable stat line of 12 catches for 211 yards, setting a new franchise record for receiving yardage in a single game. He had an impressive game before the touchdown, but the score and the ensuing celebration will make it hard for anyone to remember his previous 11 catches.

This was just another in what’s becoming a long list of impressive performances by Thomas, who is now just 120 yards away from his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, but that one play will forever be remembered in Saints lore.

Thomas said he watched Horn’s iconic celebration on YouTube before the game, but otherwise, he was mostly mum on how it came to be.

He said he bought the phone at a liquor store, but said he “couldn’t remember” who put it under the padding. He even joked that Horn left the phone there for him. Thomas did admit, though, that he had a phone under each goal post, just in case.

More important than the celebration is why Thomas was so confident for the game, and Saints coach Sean Payton explained why he also expected a big game from the receiver.

“They were going to travel Marcus to him, and that was fine by us,” Payton said. “We thought we really liked that matchup — a lot.”

The only thing Payton didn’t like about Thomas’ performance was that the celebration drew a penalty, but he still gave the receiver plenty of praise.

“He played outstanding today,” Payton said. “I wasn’t all fired up about the penalty. We’ll get that figured out and handled, but he had a great game.”

Meanwhile, Thomas’ teammates raved about the play.

“I loved it,” Kamara said. “Don’t care that we kicked from the 20. I love it.”

“When your man does something like that, like legendary like that, the kickoff team gotta go cover because that was legendary,” running back Mark Ingram said.

“When you play like he plays, he could’ve pulled out anything he wanted to from that field goal post, and I wouldn’t have had a problem with it,” defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said.

Tight end Benjamin Watson, though, had to crack a joke.

“I told Mike, ‘Do you even remember Joe Horn? What were you in elementary school back then?’” said Watson, who’s 37.

Thomas was 10 years old when Horn made that phone call back in 2003, but as Saints left tackle Terron Armstead noted, Thomas frequently shows his love for New Orleans legends.

“Mike is always paying homage to the OGs and the ones who did it before him,” Armstead said. “He pays a lot of love to the older players … a lot of love to the New Orleans greats, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, all those.”

Thomas said he’s spoken with Horn, but they don’t have a personal relationship. Horn had no idea this moment was coming, and Thomas said none of his teammates did either.

There was no way to predict that Thomas would make a play that grand in such a critical situation, but it helped his plan work to a T.

“I live for those type of moments,” he said.

Thomas is well on his way to being the best wide receiver in Saints history, but on Sunday, he showed it’s not just about the stats.

“You got to have fun,” he said. “All these guys are catching touchdowns and celebrating and having fun and getting the crowd involved. I felt like I had an opportunity to make it happen, put the game away and make the call.”